Turkey Sausage Apple Cranberry Stuffing
Savory bread stuffing with ground turkey sausage, fresh apples, tart cranberries, and aromatic herbs. Toasted white and whole wheat bread cubes are combined with browned sausage, sauteed onions and celery, then bound with turkey stock and butter. Includes cooked turkey liver for depth. Cool completely before stuffing poultry.
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups white bread, cubed
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat bread, cubed
- 1 pound ground turkey sausageground pork sausage1:1meat
pork alternative
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- ¾ cup celery, chopped
- 2 ½ teaspoons dried sage
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley, minced
- 1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped
- ¾ cup turkey stockchicken stock1:1liquid
similar flavor
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- 2
Spread white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
- 3
Toast the bread cubes in the preheated oven until evenly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- 4
Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.
- 5
In a large skillet, cook sausage and onions over medium heat, breaking up lumps and stirring until evenly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- 6
Add celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme to the skillet. Cook and stir until flavors blend, about 2 minutes.
- 7
Pour the sausage mixture over the bread cubes in the bowl.
- 8
Mix in chopped apple, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver.
- 9
Drizzle the mixture with turkey stock and melted butter, then gently mix everything together.
- 10
Allow the stuffing to cool completely before loosely stuffing it into a turkey.
Tips
Toast bread cubes until evenly browned to develop flavor and prevent soggy stuffing.
Cool stuffing completely before stuffing poultry to avoid bacterial growth.
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Do not stuff poultry in advance; prepare separately and reheat before serving.
Prepare stuffing through mixing step up to 1 day ahead. Store covered in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before stuffing poultry.
Stuff loosely into poultry just before roasting. Can also be baked separately in a covered casserole at 350 degrees F until heated through.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip cooling stuffing to room temperature to avoid uneven cooking and food safety issues.
Do not pack stuffing tightly into poultry as it needs room to cook through.
Do not toast bread cubes too long to avoid dry, burnt stuffing.
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
General Alternatives
pork alternative